Guryel Ali is a former Muslim who converted to Christianity. He’s released a number of Reggae Albums, he’s worked in Breakfast radio, and he shares about his involvement in the Revival in Vanuatu in 2016 with Evangelist Tim Hall, Hillsong & Planetshakers.

In 1857, in New York City, Jeremy Lanphier started a lunchtime prayer meeting, praying for revival in his nation. And after advertising the prayer meeting widely, only six people turned up. After three weeks of faithfully gathering, his prayer meeting had 40 people joining in on daily meetings. On October 10 that year, the stock market crashed. Suddenly, people were flocking to the prayer meetings. Within six months, 10,000 people were gathered daily for prayer in New York City alone. Other cities experienced an increased interest in prayer too. Chicago had 2,000 people praying. Louisville had several thousand people praying. And in 1858 the New York Tribune devoted an entire issue to news of this revival. Prayer rather than preaching was the main focus. Meetings were informal. Anyone could pray, speak, lead a song or give a word of testimony with a five minute limit placed on each speaker. This led to the third great awakening in US history. It then spread to Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England, Europe, South Africa, India, Australia and the Pacific Islands. Many people were saved. Backsliders returned, conversions increased, families established daily devotions and entire communities underwent a noticeable change in morals. Many preachers returned to the truths of the Gospel and Christ and His cross. All because one man saw the trouble his nation was in, and decided to get on his knees and pray. Are you willing to get on your knees and pray for your nation today?

A recent survey showed that 85% of US Christians only prayed for themselves and their families. Only 15% prayed for the world around them, yet the Bible tells us in 1 Timothy 2 that we must pray with supplications, prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks for all men, for kings and for all who are in authority. One definition of prayer is that it’s an activity of God that requires the cooperation of man in order to see God’s desires fulfilled. Prayer is the conduit of power that flows through the Christian. Have you ever spent a night at home in the middle of a blackout? There’s no power for your TV. No power for your clock radio. No power to charge your phone. Sadly main Christians are living in the middle of a spiritual blackout. They’re not receiving the power from on high. God is calling us to be a people of prayer. And prayer, not just for ourseleves, but for the world around us. Prayer for our leaders. Prayer for our churches. Prayer for the persecuted church. If you’re feeling a little dry in your prayer life, get back into God’s Word – the Bible and study what it says about being a people of prayer.

A man went to a barber shop to have his hair cut and hist beard trimmed. As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation. They talked about so many things on various subjects, when they eventually touched on the subject of God. The barber said, “I don’t believe that God exists.” “Why do you say that?”, asked the customer. “Well, you just have to go out in the streets to realise that God doesn’t exists. Tell me, if God exists, why would their be so many sick people. Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering, nor pain. I can’t imagine loving a God who would allow all these things.” The customer thought for a moment, but didn’t respond, because he didn’t want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop. Just after he left the barber shop, he saw a man in the street with long stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and unkept. And the customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and said to the barber, “You know what? Barbers don’t exist.” “How can you say that?”, asked the surprised barber. “I’m here and I’m a barber, and I just worked on you.” “No! The customer exclaimed. “Barbers don’t exist, because if they did there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards like that man outside.” “Ah, but barbers do exist. What happens is, people do not come to me.” “Exactly!”, affirmed the customer. “That’s the point! God too, does exist. What happens is, people don’t go to him.” Jesus Christ said, “Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.” Every day Jesus Christ is inviting you to come to him, and he’s not offering you a haircut, he’s offering you eternal life. Why don’t you come to him today?

Have you ever taken your children to the shops and just at the checkout, there’s all the chocolate and they toys and the lollies that tempts the kids right at their eye level? They’re so clever at placing just the right thing to tempt your kids at just the right time. I heard a story of a father that took his children into the supermarket. He took them into the toy aisle. He made them lean in and listen carefully to the toys in the aisle. And he said, “Can you hear that kids? Can you hear what they’re saying?They’re saying, buy me! Buy me! He said thats what they say to you in the shops wherever you go in every shopping centre, in every supermarket, they’re crying out, buy me!” He taught them a valuable lesson that day. He said, “Don’t listen to what they are saying. Don’t fall into the trap of the world by coveting everything that you see, otherwise, you’ll always want the latest toy, the latest gadget, the latest upgrade. Be content with what you already have.” In Hebrews 13:5, the Bible says “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.'” In this day and age where advertising is always telling us to buy this and that and get the latest and greatest. Lets not give in to the spirit of the age and lets not covet the things we don’t have. Lets be grateful and content with what we already have. And lets remember that when we’re blessed, we’re blessed to be a blessing.

The story is told of a police constable in Canberra that mapped out the worst crime spots in the city. He also mapped out the churches and then combined the two maps. It turned out that the areas that where the churches were had the lowest crime rate and the areas with the worst crime rate had no churches nearby. Now it is great to see the impact that a church can make on a city. What about those dark places where there are no churches? Who will go into the highways and byways to share the good news in the darkest places? A famous missionary C.T. Studd said, “Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell.” In Matthew 28, Jesus told us to go into all the world to preach the gospel. He also said in Matthew 5:16 “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Where are the places that you can go and shine a light today? Where is the harvest field where God has called you to? My encouragement to you is to pray and then be obedient to where God sends you.

Doctor J. Edwin Orr, the greatest authority ever on revival in the church was a lecturer at Wheaton College. He took some students in 1940 in a brief visit to England, to visit the Epworth refectory where John Wesley was based. Beside the bed are two worn impressions in the carpet where it was said that John Wesley knelt for hours in prayer for England’s social and spiritual renewal. As the students were getting on the bus, he noticed one missing. Going back upstairs, he found one student kneeling in the carpet kneeholes praying with his face on the bed. “Oh Lord, do it again! Do it again!” Orr placed a hand on the student’s shoulder and said gently, “Come on Billy, we must be going.” And rising, Billy Graham joined the bus. God will do it again if we are committed to praying. The Bible says to pray in the spirit, on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. All it takes is one man or one woman to stand in the gap and pray. Will you commit yourself to praying for revival today?

Bob Gas from “The Word for Today” tells the story of a nine year old boy named Philip who suffered with down syndrome. In Sunday School the other kids made fun of him because he was different. The Sunday before easter the teacher gave each of the kids a plastic egg and asked them to look for symbols of new life. Like seeds and leaves, then place them into the egg. The idea was to open their eggs on Easter Sunday and discuss what they had found. When the children gathered, they collected all sorts of things such as flowers, butterflies and rocks. But when the teacher opened Philip’s egg, it was empty. One child said, “That’s not fair! He didn’t do it right!”. But Philip tucked at the teachers sleeve and said, “I did do it right! It’s empty, because the tomb is empty! That’s why we have new life.” The class gasped and from then on Philip rose to a new level of respect and became part of the group. But Philip’s family knew his time was short. Too many problems for one small body, so that summer, he died. As the class of 8 year olds faced the reality of death, they marched up to the alter, but not with flowers. Together with their teacher, they each placed an empty plastic egg on their friend’s tiny casket. Why is the resurrection of Jesus so important? For two reasons. Number one; his resurrection guarantees yours. And number two; if you live long enough you’ll experience the heartache of losing someone you love. The good news of the resurrection of Jesus Christ guarantees that you will meet him again. Alive, immortal and just like Jesus. In John 11:25 it says, “Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.”

Nicky Gumbel from the Alpha Course shares lots of stories about how he loves his wife Pippa. But he says there is a difference between knowing his wife and knowing about his wife. He said that if there was a book about his wife called “The Book of Pippa”, he could read through it and study it. Chapter one might be about her culinary expertise in the kitchen. Chapter two might be about how she’s an amazing mother and loves her children so much. Chapter three might be about her sporting prowess. That would be a very shot chapter. He could read through all the chapters and study about Pippa, learn about her and have knowledge about Pippa. And in the end it would just be a book about Pippa and the only way to know Pippa is to meet her. It’s a funny analogy; but the truth is, many people only know about God. Many people know about the Bible. They know the stories. They might even go to church. They might even pray. But there’s a difference about knowing about God and knowing God. The apostle Paul said in Philippians 3:10, “I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead.” We need to draw near to him in a relationship and he will draw near to us. Maybe today is the day for you to draw near to God and start your relationship with Jesus.